[thile44]

A very good point. Have you ever noticed that most laws actually punish the poor or uneducated more than those with greater resources. It creates a system whereby the offenders are forced into having more and more infractions heaped on them by the state for not being well enough off to address what are initially minor violations. I had a neighbor who did not have enoughto fix her car for emissions testing and when finally able to comply was hit with another $120.00 in fines. If she had been more affluent this would not have happened.
Maybe it's time to scale fines according to ability to pay, as they do in Germany, for violations on the autobahn.

[1rudeboy]

The field of Law & Economics is one of the most neglected areas of law, period. It should be a mandatory part of a law school curriculum, but isn't because the L & E types tend to be conservative/libertarian.

[ThePythonicCow]

Have you ever noticed that most laws actually punish the poor or uneducated more than those with greater resources.

That's one of the classic techniques for keeping the sheeple in line. Make them criminals. By now, there are enough laws on the book that just about everyone except my 84 year old Catholic nun mother is a criminal.

Those of us who 'behave' enjoy the privilege of not being prosecuted for our crimes.

[DUMBGRUNT]

Maybe it's time to scale fines according to ability to pay, as they do in Germany, for violations on the autobahn

BBC NEWS | Business | Finn's speed fine is a bit rich

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/3477285.stm

Jussi Salonoja, the 27-year-old heir to a family-owned sausage empire, was given the £116,000 ticket after being caught driving 80km/h in a 40km/h zone. Helsinki police came up with the figure after tax office data showed that Mr Salonoja earned close to £7m in 2002.